Review: Vernors Ginger Ale

If there was one beverage company that owned the market on mainstream ginger ale products, it would be the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. With Canada Dry, Schweppes, and Vernors, you have an array of choices from one source. Vernors Ginger Ale has a storied history, being created in 1866 by Detroit pharmacist James Vernor. And today, we give it a taste!

Vernors Ginger Ale

For this review, we’ll be looking at a 20 oz plastic bottle of Vernors, “The Original Ginger Soda.” The bottle is nothing special, though it has a textured surface, with a larger bottom section, much like many older bottle designs on DPSG products. An embossed “Vernors” logo is present in the plastic above the label. Speaking of the label, it’s dark green with golden accents, with a wood plank pattern in the background, supporting the claim that this drink has a “Barrel Aged Bold Taste.”

Vernors is described as a “golden” ginger ale, in contrast to the “dry” style you find with the appropriately-named Canada Dry. Popping the cap, it actually doesn’t smell like a ginger ale right off the bat. It has a sweet scent with a hint of ginger. The color is a deep golden yellow/brown.

Taste is sweet, as anticipated. This is NOT a biting ginger beer/ale product. It’s mild in the ginger department, banking on a ginger-esqe influence more than anything. The aftertaste is a bit syrupy, but it’s not bad overall. There’s a certain creaminess in the ginger flavoring, which I think is pushing the sweetness factor. It’s pleasant overall and helps differentiate Vernors from other ginger ale products.